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If you are wondering what Neuroscience has to
do with sports training, the answer is - everything! The difference between
good athletes and great ones is that great athletes know that the way to
maximize their strength and potential is to train both their mind and body. This
is where sports neuroscience comes in. It helps athletes understand the
neurobiological effects of their training.
Sports neuroscience has exploded so much in
recent years that there are now doctoral programs in top schools around the country
that focus exclusively on sports neuroscience research. In this article, I will
share 5 important aspects of your sports training that
you can hack with a little help from neuroscience.
Understanding Your Physiology
Any sport is intrinsically a physiological
activity requiring excellent motor skills, reflexes and strength depending on
the type of sport you play. Physiology, unlike anatomy, differs for each
athlete and involves important factors such as environmental conditions,
hydration level, body composition and carb loading. Sports physiology helps
athletes and coaches recognise the effects of their training regimen on their
body.
Seek the help of a sports physiologist who
can help you understand the physiological demands of your specific sport and
help you train at your highest level. Sports physiologists will typically
measure how you perform under various test conditions to study and identify
your areas of improvement. Using this information, your coaches can then design
a customized training program that is specifically tailor made for your body.
Holistic
Lifestyle Enhancement
Elite athletes recognize that much of their success lies
outside of the training room as it does inside. For example, you can hardly be
expected to be a top athlete if you are on the brink of debt and faced with a
huge financial burden. Similarly, over the course of years you may have
developed certain habits such as waking up late or sleeping too few hours that
are detrimental to your sports performance.
Holistic lifestyle enhancement allows you to recognize
that it is very important to develop successful habits in all aspects of your
life to augment your sport training. If your coach is not a trained performance
lifestyle practitioner, seek the help of one. These experts can provide the
support that is necessary to truly live a healthy lifestyle. They can also help
you through financial counselling and help you identify your options after your
sports career.
Consistent
Analysis of Performance
Depending on the level of expertise you want
to attain, it is very important to keep consistently measuring and analysing
your performance. Ask your friend or coach to record your training sessions or
practice games and make sure you watch them after each game. Introspection and
learning are crucial mental factors that are likely to affect your performance.
If you want to learn more from your games
including specific technical and tactical mistakes you are making in the game,
then consider investing in an analysis software. For almost every major sport,
there exists performance analysis software that can provide you with great
insight about your game. The more training sessions you have and the more games
you upload in the analysis software, the more data and insights you can gather.
For example, one athlete recognized that he performed better on indoor tracks
as opposed to outdoor fields.
Mental
Training
Constant physical training can be an
exhausting activity. Add to it a few losses and you are looking at a recipe for
disaster. Mental training is not just important but essential for successful
sports performance. Sports neuroscience ranks it among the top things to-do for
athletes of all levels. Mental training provides you with the discipline
necessary to consistently perform on and off the field. Sports neuroscience
plays a pivotal role because it can help trainers and coaches develop mental
training methods based on every athlete’s specific needs.
Performance
Nutrition
The final hack is one that is most
overlooked. With athletes typically averaging 5-7 meals per day to keep energy
levels up, it is crucial to understand what you can and cannot eat in each of
those meals. Understanding your diet involves an understanding of your
environmental factors, your specific sport, energy expended and your body
composition.
Each meal you eat can alter your body in a
small but significant way that could ultimately be the difference between a win
or a loss. If you are training 3-4 hours per day, the last thing you want is to
succumb to diseases and then realize that you have botched your immune system
because you have not had proper nutritious meals.
So, there you go! These are five ways to hack
your sports training and improve your performance. Whether you are practicing
for the Olympics or for your local league match, these hacks will surely be
useful in taking your sport to the next level. Good luck!